Simply Wholesome in Inglewood. Unsung vegan-friendly restaurant hero. Live band on the patio on weekends, friendly staff that enjoys interacting, a great natural foods and products store attached, a great selection of vegan desserts, and a spinach patty that has you asking repeatedly, "Are you SURE this is vegan?"

Maddy's is open! I drove by and decided to check. Unfortunately, I wasn't hungry enough to eat, but bought a dessert and some cashew cheese just to show my support. They give ice cream samples if you are having trouble deciding.

I second LA Vegan Crepe. I love that place. Free wifi, relaxing setting, and yes, yes, yes on the napolean!!! The owner and waitstaff are super friendly but not intrusive. I will cry if they ever go out of business, so please support them! I look horrible when I cry.

I tried LYFE a couple of times. The food is fresh and tasty (I especially like the elixirs), but I felt the portions should have been bigger for the price. Nice, clean, modern, "green" vibe with friendly service and free wifi.

I really need to try those.

YurtGirl wrote:

Shojin (vegan sushi) opened a location in Culver City. I've only been to the downtown location, but I can't wait to try CC since it's closer.

Good to know! Culver City is closer to me as well. I like Shojin's sushi and bento box. Otherwise I find them overpriced.

YurtGirl wrote:

Samosa House has two locations in Culver City. Samosa East is much smaller. The other one also has an Indian store attached. The restaurant is vegetarian, but has vegan items.

Samosa House is pretty good, but not great. I prefer Annapurna in Culver City. It's vegetarian and has many vegan options. The Spring Dosa and Spinach Dosa are our favorite items there.

YurtGirl wrote:

Super excited about Sage Culver City. I love their succotash.

Really looking forward to Sage Culver City too. I've only eaten there twice, but loved many things!

YurtGirl wrote:

The Vegan Joint in Hollywood and on National in Culver City. I've yet to try it, but the menu is crazy extensive with good prices.

I've only eaten there once but it was pretty disappointing. Doesn't hold a candle to M. Cafe de Chaya, whose Culver City location I still miss like crazy.

YurtGirl wrote:

The Counter makes a good vegan burger, but none of their buns are vegan. I wrote them a friendly email and never heard back. Kind of disappointing Customer Service.

That sucks. If you're talking about the one in the Marina, have you been to the Medocino Farms at the same plaza? They offer four vegan sandwiches. Selection change, but currently these are a vegan veggie burger, vegan Bahn Mi, Vegan Shawarma and a BBQ Seitan sandwich.

YurtGirl wrote:

Lemonade in Venice has some vegan options, but sadly, most of the veg options have cheese and are pre-made.

Never even heard of this place. How are they?

In Venice my favorite vegan spot is Cafe Gratitude.

YurtGirl wrote:

Larchmont Bungalow in Larchmont Village has a decent selection of vegan dishes. It's a good brunch spot if eating with non-vegans.

Never heard of them. Another brunch place I want to check out is Susan Feniger's Street. I've been there for dinner and it was good. For $25 they offer a "limitless" all you can eat brunch with several vegan selections.

YurtGirl wrote:

The Yardhouse downtown is also a good choice if eating with non-vegans.

Haven't heard of this place either. I don't go downtown very often.

YurtGirl wrote:

The Golden Mean is S.M. I've only been once, but it was a nice casual place to eat.

They have the most delicious Coconut Cake and a good veggie burger. But I usually prefer to go to Real Food Daily if I'm in Santa Monica.

These were eggroll shaped and sized and we got four or five of them. The filling is kale and chunks of soft white vegan cheese (much milder than dairy feta), and the wrapping is phyllo dough, of course. The "fondu" is really a creamy harissa-spiced dipping sauce with mint oil floating on top. I liked these a lot.

This was the one dud of the evening for me, and my husband didn't care for it either. Three pieces of pasta filled with mild cheese and sitting in a dab of bland spinach cream. When the oven baked cherry tomatoes on the side are the most flavorful part of a dish, it's a bit of a letdown.

From the Comforting Classics:

WOOD-FIRED MEATY LASAGNA / 14

This dish rocked. Both my husband and I felt it was the highlight of the meal. It's more cheesy than meaty, with a lot of yummy vegan cheese, flavorful tomato sauce and small pieces of vegan sausage here and there. It was just delicious. Also, it was a bit more substantial in size than the small plates, which inclines me to order off the "Comforting Classics" section of the menu more in the future.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE TARTLET ($6)

mascarpone / spiced caramel popcorn

Desserts are especially teeny at Crossroads. You could eat this in three bites, but it was good.

We also had a dessert special not listed on the menu.

Almond Panna Cotta with lemon something or other on top of a strawberry-passion fruit sauce or reduction. There were little fresh strawberry pieces in the sauce, and it was subtle but delicious. Probably my second favorite item on the menu (after the lasagna). This one could probably be eaten in four bites, and it cost $8, but as I say it was quite good.

Overall the meal was satisfying and filling enough, though it was an early dinner so perhaps if we'd come on really empty stomachs we would not have felt as satisfied. I would go to Crossroads again, but only on special occasions since it is expensive.

I tried Shojin's new Culver City location. I was surprised that the menu is different from the Little Tokyo location. They have a similar sushi and appetizer menu, but the main course menu is different. We stuck with sushi since there weren't any appealing-sounding main dishes. Our sushi rolls were all good, but not as good as the same rolls in Little Tokyo. The service was very good and I thought the decor was nice.

I tried Shojin's new Culver City location. I was surprised that the menu is different from the Little Tokyo location. They have a similar sushi and appetizer menu, but the main course menu is different. We stuck with sushi since there weren't any appealing-sounding main dishes. Our sushi rolls were all good, but not as good as the same rolls in Little Tokyo. The service was very good and I thought the decor was nice.

I did not realize that. Is the Bento box on the menu there? That's my favorite thing at the Little Tokyo location.

I didn't see the Bento Box on the Shojin CC menu, but their menu is definitely very limited. I was sad they didn't have the ramen on the menu there (they are now doing a limited ramen special during the week but only Tues-Wed-Thurs I believe).

I am not a huge raw food fan but the food at M.A.K.E is outstanding. Took my partner there for his birthday and was blown away. We got a special multi course tasting deal with wine included from Gilt, it was so fun.

Am I the only one who just can't get into Veggie Grill? I mean the food is OK but every time I eat there I wish I was eating at Native Foods instead.

The Vegan Joint was disappointing for me. Good prices but the food was nothing special.

I live in Westchester too and had no idea about Stuff I Eat...great tip! Especially since they do catering and I am always in need of vegan catering for events I help out with.

LA Vegan Crepe is so good...I was a pregan crepe addict so I was beyond thrilled when I found someone who was concerned about my vegan crepe needs.

Sage is amazing...can't wait for the CC location to open. We should have a meetup when it does! :)

I didn't see the Bento Box on the Shojin CC menu, but their menu is definitely very limited. I was sad they didn't have the ramen on the menu there (they are now doing a limited ramen special during the week but only Tues-Wed-Thurs I believe).

I am not a huge raw food fan but the food at M.A.K.E is outstanding. Took my partner there for his birthday and was blown away. We got a special multi course tasting deal with wine included from Gilt, it was so fun.

Am I the only one who just can't get into Veggie Grill? I mean the food is OK but every time I eat there I wish I was eating at Native Foods instead.

The Vegan Joint was disappointing for me. Good prices but the food was nothing special.

I live in Westchester too and had no idea about Stuff I Eat...great tip! Especially since they do catering and I am always in need of vegan catering for events I help out with.

LA Vegan Crepe is so good...I was a pregan crepe addict so I was beyond thrilled when I found someone who was concerned about my vegan crepe needs.

Sage is amazing...can't wait for the CC location to open. We should have a meetup when it does! :)

That's a shame about the Bento Box at Shojin's Culver City location.

According to reviewers on yelp, Sage in Culver City started their "soft opening" a week ago. If you're serious about a meetup, would you be willing to start a new thread for that in the PPK Southern Cali Forum? Or if you'd rather not, I can.

I didn't see an OC thread so I wanted to make my comments somewhere and this is close enough especially with mention of veggie grill.

So, maybe I should've read this before dinner last night. I went to Veggie Grill (Irvine Spectrum) and asked about where they sourced their meat and they said it was Gardein. I was disappointed but figured we were already there (and I wasn't aware there was another veg friendly restaurant in the spectrum - forget what it was called). My sandwich was fine, my mom said the Native food nachos were better but my stepfather (the omni) liked his burger and soup so I guess we did ok. I wouldn't go back though especially if native foods is an option.

Also, we went to Rutabegorz in Orange for lunch which I really, really like. Funny how I lived in OC for years, went to school in OC yet I had never been to Orange. It was a cute little area and my parents like checking out antique stores.

(and holy crepe Irvine spectrum is like a fungus that spread... last time I went there was when I worked in the area and it wasn't as big as it is. It is huge now)

_________________You are all a disgrace to vegans. Go f*ck yourselves, especially linanil.

Yeah I think he quality of veggie grill has definitely gone down. The first one was by uci and I remember it being SO GOOD. When they opened up a spot in San Jose I was pretty excited but it's just not the same.

I've never heard of rutabegorz! I'll have to check it out next time I'm down. Orange is super cute! My parents used to drag me there to go antiquing, which I hated as a kid but I might enjoy now!

a new vegan thai restaurant opened up in santa monica, Satdha, and it definitely has a more unique, authentic feeling menu - not in line with the big blow-up of "vegan thai" places that happened a few years ago. i've only dined there once, but will definitely go again!

a new vegan thai restaurant opened up in santa monica, Satdha, and it definitely has a more unique, authentic feeling menu - not in line with the big blow-up of "vegan thai" places that happened a few years ago. i've only dined there once, but will definitely go again!

We went there tonight. Thanks so much for mentioning it! It's a terrific place and not that far from me. The only downside is that they were packed. We got the last open parking spot and had to wait to get seated.

Staying in LA/Hollywood on Friday night, since my partner has a gig at a nightclub. Also, my birthday weekend. Going with some other people.

Going to Dinner at the Blue Palms Brewhouse for dinner, since it is close by and has vegan options. I used to love this place, but last time I went it was meh. But it is literally walking distance from the club, and everyone else is super excited about it.

Trying to find a good brunch place for Saturday. They will absolutely NOT got to a vegetarian/vegan OR healthy place. Has to be MEAT/BACON/EGGS with something I can eat too. Has anyone tried Hugo's? http://hugosrestaurant.com/menu/breakfastLooks like there is something for everyone there. Maybe too healthy for these people though :(

Any suggestions on dinner are appreciated, but it needs to be right smack in the middle of Hollywood. Blue Palms is walking distance from the club (king Kings) and like I said, it is ok. There are vegan sausages. Not vegan bread. Fries are in the chicken fryer. Beer list is FANTASTIC. I recently did an event at Hollywood and highland, and researched decent vegan friendly restaurants withing walking distance, and there was not too much. This was definitely the best choice

I'm not keen on Swingers and if Addiction Bistro used to be Chili Addiction, not thrilled with them. Hugo's is pretty solid though. Crossroads is excellent, but vegan. I haven't been to BLD, Millie's or Mudhen. I've heard good things about Blu Jam Cafe but never had the opportunity to eat there - http://www.blujamcafe.com/ -- that might be another option for you.

think swingers is really great for an omni crowd like Chicki is describing! it's a diner, so not mind blowing, and i've only ever been to the one in santa monica, but it's been fresh and filling. definitely won't be stuck with only a fruit salad for breakfast.

Thanks so much guys :) so many suggestions. Gonna run them by my group. This is supposed to make up for my birthday weekend in Vegas that was cancelled, and to be honest, was not looking forward to a sausage with no bun for dinner, and fruit for breakfast.